Waba Grill continued to surprise with its service. The cashier Naily was especially helpful and efficient. Ordered a sweet and spicy chicken bowl. Would recommend. read more

Lovely staff quick and decently priced food

Good quick food especially when you forget your lunch and don't want a burger kid friendly

Not my favorite, unfortunately. 1st time here. I've heard mixed reviews about this place, so I decided to try it for myself. I ordered a grilled chicken bowl with WaBa sauce on a bed of rice. The chicken was flavorless and quite fatty. There were slices of chicken, thigh meat that had fat on it. Not to mention the rice was gummy, over cooked not sticky rice at all. The WaBa sauce was ok, nothing exciting similar to that of a teriyaki. Overall Extremely disappointed especially for the cost and quality of the meat. read more

It's lunch time and they ran out of chicken! WTH. Then it took forever to get steak and shrimp! We were waiting for the longest and they passed us by 4 times - finishing other people's orders ahead of us. No offer of compensation at all. And it cost us more bCZ steak and shrimp awesome m read more

Really enjoy eating at Waba grill for lunch when I'm up in this area. I have been visiting this location of Waba since the place had opened several months ago and so far it's shaped up to be pretty decent. Waba has been infiltrating San Diego for the last year by adding more and more stores, this recent location in Kearny Mesa is very convenient for me because of work. When they first opened, the place struggled to get orders out efficiently and correctly but the last two or three visits they have been on top of their game. The restaurant is always very clean, organized and they never seem to run out of carrots or jalapenos like the other ones I have visited. The vegetables always taste fresh here and they steam them perfectly. I usually go with the chicken bowls and their meat has always been tender and seasoned well. The rice here is the only thing I find fault with in the bowls, it's a little mushy compared to other locations or what you'd expect to be getting. Another bummer about this location is their ice tea is never ready in the morning for some reason, I've showed up right before the "lunch rush" a couple of times and the ice tea still hasn't been made, so I end up just getting water. Other than that, this Waba grill is great and the food is good. Great place to grab a quick healthy lunch for about 8 bucks and change. read more

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The food is good. Reasonable price. You know what isn't reasonable? Being closed during your posted open hours. 6:46 on a Monday and you are closed with no "open" or "closed" sign. Unacceptable. read more

WaBa Grill - Fast Food Near Me - San Diego, California

This place is located in the Carl's Jr. strip mall, which makes it pretty convenient. Upon walking in, I was smacked in the face by the smell of disinfectant. Good news: the place is clean! Bad news: no one wants to smell a Clorox wipe while eating. WaBa Grill offers a healthier dining option where you basically pick if you want a plate or bowl and your protein. Their spin is that you get the trendiest vegetable with your food: kale. Food: -Chicken & steak plate with brown rice & kale salad: The chicken was a bit dry and boring. The steak was good, but it was a bit too salty and it was more like chopped up pieces of mish mash. The kale salad was fine. I feel like this is food you can make at home and it would taste better too. It's fine if you want a healthier lunch option, but it's nothing to get excited about. read more

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I see all the bad reviews, so let me just say: I have never had any bad customer service at this location. Ever. I'm greeted with smiles, and they stay patient with me as I take my time to order. The food always comes out fresh- vegetables, meat, rice, sauce- all on point. Keep up the good work guys. I know it's tough opening a new location, and I appreciate all my delicious bowls you've made for me so far! Thanks, Waba! read more

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This is simple guys......go somewhere else. This Waba never fails to fail me, and I've given this place many many chances because it is diet friendly. I've gone there a number of times, and I kid you not every time there is something either messed up with my order or something "they run out of", and not to mention one time I went there, the door was locked but they were supposed to be open and the employees were all hanging out inside just laughing and talking. This Waba runs out of stuff like steak, chicken, Waba sauce, and salad dressing. How do y'all ever run out of these MAIN ITEMS??!!??!?! That's pretty much the bulk of the menu lol Their soda machine has an out of order sign on at least 1 soda option every time I come in, sometimes there's 3-4 out of order, at the same time. Like can you guys get it together????? Do yourself a favor and go somewhere else! read more

This place has hands down the best shrimp bowl or teriyaki chicken bowl also the State bowl is so good for the price you can beat it. People that work there always super nice everything's really clean I love this place Audi hair everyday if I could but the only one that's closest to me is kind of out of the way thanks guys for the great food read more

I decided to try this place one early evening and was disappointed at what I received when I looked at my togo order. The size of the salmon could be done in one bite. Would I pay 9 bucks for this again? I think not. read more

WaBa Grill - Fast Food Near Me - San Diego, California

Pretty much everyone here look like they hate their job. They're super slow at working. I always try to call in my order but they never pick up. Last time i was in they forgot my avocado and i had to drive back because i did pay extra for that. This location sucks big time all around. read more

I only visited this location because I got a coupon in the mail last week for a $5 chicken bowl with a drink. There were 4 people ahead of me and I was last in line. The girl helped everyone and told me she would be right with me. She leaves the counter to help the kitchen complete three tickets. Meanwhile I see the sign that states: "Soda not working!" I waited for about five minutes before she returned. While she was gone, I observed the kitchen area which was filthy. One cook was cooking chicken and using the same utensil for the cook chicken and the raw chicken. The other cook was chopping meat using the dirtiest cutting board I have ever seen. The edges of it we're white as if and the middle was stone black with knife scraps. I watched him through fresh cooked chicken on the dirty board, cut it up, and place it in a bowl. I saw the girl reach in to the fridge to grab a pre-made salad and add meat to it. She finally returned to me, (and why did I still want to order? Because I have already wasted part of my lunch waiting in the line. ) I asked for a chicken rice bowl and handed her the coupon. She said we are no longer accepting the coupon. I told her the expiration date isn't until the end of the month. She showed me her register to tell me the promo is no longer there (as if that is convincing. My co-worker had the same coupon and they told her they were out of chicken and could not make her a bowl. Meanwhile told her that they could make her a chicken plate??? Doesn't that envolve chicken?) So I asked, "Are you telling me you are not honoring a price which you advertised?" She said, "Yes, we are on a new promotion. That coupon is no longer valid. Our system and I can not honor the coupon." I took the coupon and left. I called my lawyer and emailed Waba. Let's see if this place is still standing. Mainly because the sanitation is horrible. read more

WaBa Grill - Coupon with expiration date of 3/31/2018. Employee would not honor coupon deal. - Fast Food Near Me - San Diego, California

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This is my go to place for a quick delicious meal. The price is good and the food tastes great. I also found out that if you order for delivery on their website, there's no delivery charge - wow! Definitely a plus! read more

This is the 3rd time I come to this location and they run out of chicken...it's 12:57pm guys, what's going on? This is ridiculous. I'm sure you're losing business here a lot of people don't eat red meat and prefer to each chicken. Get it together. I'll never be coming here again. Update- after 15 min of waiting after placing my order I stand up again and she asks if I'm ready to order....the worker literally forgot about my order. Waba hire people that want to work. read more

The best recommendation for a fast food joint is they don't skimp on the protein quantity and the quality is pretty good. I almost never eat out but when I'm on the run and need a place to get somewhat healthy food options, this is a good spot. read more

Great new spot for protein / healthy quick meal! Usually on point with portions and prices are affordable. The parking is quite large but shares with several businesses. Today the portions were a bit slim. A new worker made the order not what has been consistent with the usual Waba plate. The meat was really lacking and he charged for extra rice when kale salad and fruit can be replaced with rice. The mgr quickly fixed his mistake; the usual peppy welcome was lacking today. A little bummed considering this order usually is good for dinner and great left overs for lunch the next day.... Today barely enough for one meal after a long workout :/ Still going to frequent this spot because the food is on point! I def recommend this place for a quick filling but not too heavy lunch or dinner while keeping on that budget! 20160823 Unfortunately again another light plate... Not sure if it is change of employees or change in standards but it is a bummer since the food is bomb and this is the closest location. I will have to find a new spot :( I still recommend ppl to try the delish food! Maybe there is a double the meat option? read more

WaBa Grill - Another slim plate that is sparse on the protein! :( bring back the regular employees please!! - Fast Food Near Me - San Diego, California

This isn't The first time visiting Waba Grill and isn't the first time receiving substandard customer service. Today was severely short staffed with two cooks and one server by the name of Griselda via from my receipt. Griselda I have had several encounters with and she is not hesitant on showing her lack of enthusiasm for her own job. Today, Not only walking away from the cash register leaving myself and one other customer to wait - walking around the counter to begin cleaning already empty tables without even greeting or saying a word to either one of us.. I approach the customer in front of me next to be helped and asked him if he has been approached yet and his response was "no." This prompted one of the cooks prepping the food in the back named Marlin to approach the front counter immediately apologize for the wait and began to take our orders. He was very polite and attentive to the situation informing us that they were shortstaffed and apparently out of chicken so the wait time was going to be five or so minutes which I was fine with knowing that Marlin showed some care.. with that, I was willing to excuse the fact that they completely forgot to add the teriyaki to my teriyaki plate haha.. I watched Merlin later approach every customer sitting down waiting for food reassuring that the chicken is on its way and I was quite surprised on how attentive he was. Griselda on the other hand continued to clean the tables never returning to the cash register leaving Marlin and the only other cook to fend for themselves. This was concerning considering the situation as well as my personal experience with retail for over 15 years I was quite appalled. I hope they get that place situated and Merlin get a raise read more

I have been here twice. Both times the wait was unusually long, thus I left. It's not that they are too busy, it seems the order taker is too busy doing expediting duty to take orders. Management get a clue... The temperature in the restaurant was also too cold. read more

***CATERING REVIEW*** I have eaten here for personal lunches and have always enjoyed the simplicity & quality of their food offerings. However this review is specifically for their catering. We just don't have very many options in this area that aren't limited to sandwiches, so I was excited to give them a try. I wasn't able to find many pictures of the trays, so I was sure to take photos once our meal was set up for those who may find them helpful. ORDERING - 3/5 Stars Again there really isn't anything online (photo & menu-wise), so I just called in to inquire. The gal at this location was very accommodating, I had a gluten free & vegetarian to account for so I made a request to keep sauces off of everything and placed a side order for tofu. At present they do not offer delivery. Luckily our office is no more than a mile away so this was not an issue. My only caution would be, to arrange your pick up before the lunch rush. If you frequent this plaza you know lunch time in the parking lot is a zoo. PRESENTATION - 5/5 Stars I was a little nervous on how it would all turn out as I didn't have photos to refer to. I did request that they add steamed veggies under the chicken & steak tray to make it look fuller and sprinkle green onions over the top for an added touch, which they obliged. I do like that the aluminum trays were encased in cardboard carriers to make it easier to transport in multiples. Also, the sides that are provided in store such as the green onions, carrots & jalapenos were individually packed so we could recreate the topping station. TASTE - 4/5 Stars We received rave reviews on the meal. My only critique is that the chicken was a tad dry. I know this could have easily been resolved had they been allowed to lather the chicken with the teriyaki sauce (which I requested not to do). We quickly ran out of the packets so I feel a few people had that impression. This can easily be resolved by requesting more than what you feel would be necessary of their WaBa sauce packets. I honestly felt we had way too many only to realize it wasn't. Kudos to the staff at WaBa - we can't wait to use them again. read more

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Literally from beginning to end the service was terrible. My coworker and I came in and the first thing we hear is an unpleasant sigh accompanied with a side eye and some odd hair flip . My coworker ordered first and it seemed that the cashier, Khyle had an issue with the entire order. Khyle cut off my coworker while ordering, and was annoyed that she chose to pay with cash than card. He made a comment about paying with cash when he realized my coworker was not going to pay with card by saying "Oh CASHHHH!?" and snatched the money from her. Because she felt rushed and uncomfortable to order she had forgotten to purchase some avocado for her meal (to which Khyle made another comment) "Now what did you forget!?" Which made her feel not want to order anything else. When my turn came to order he felt relieved that the first words that came out of my mouth were that I only wanted "A Steak Plate with all steamed rice that will complete my order." Again, Khyle made another LOUD comment to make sure my coworker heard "That was easy!" Obviously it doesn't stop there he was being cocky and unhelpful to the girl that was cooking the food because when she would ask him to review the orders to push them out he wouldn't pay attention instead he was fixing his tupé and dancing around his area. Once we received our order I checked the bag for Utensils and all we had were CHOPPED STICKS!! (Umm dude hello!! My plate comes with a salad!!!!) I went over to the counter and politely asked for 2 forks to which he responded with a smart comment "You don't know how to eat with Chopped Sticks!? You should learn!" He tried to make it seem as if he was saying it in a joking way however, when I asked for the utensils he said "We ran out." I asked if he had anything else aside from the chopped sticks and he said "spoons" at this point I'll take whatever I can get aside from the chopped sticks to be able to eat my salad (first and foremost) when I asked for a second spoon he responds with "Are you serious?" To which I said umm yes!? And he mumbled something under his breath. I guess my coworker and I made Khyle do his job instead of having him flip his tupé around the kitchen!! I also hope the girl cooking the food gets some help from a mature employee and I hope they can get someone to run to Walmart for some Utensils! read more

Average at best. Not as advertised. I did not recieve items as stated on the specials, IE, pots stickers or avocado. I was charged for the soda which was supposed to be included with the "bowl." N ot exactly warm and friendly. Counter clerk did not know his menu or how to use the register. They were out of lids for the cups despite the place was completely empty of customers. Nothing special or memorable here. read more

I live and work in Clairemont and someone who's very low carb low sugar lifestyle livin I'm happy that WaBa Grill is in my little neighborhood! They have fresh meat, veggies yummy w/ a crisp and bomb sauce!!!! I wanted to write this review because I did have an issue one day, it was lunch hour which I totally get and understand that it gets busy. I ordered 2 bowls, unfortunately I went back to work with one of the meats wrong. I called the restaurant to let the know and one of the people in charge name Abel was soooo understanding and apologetic for the mistake and offered to replace my meal. I love seeing great customer service and that means the most to me! Thank you Abel for turning my experience into a positive one! Keep it up WaBa Clairemont! read more

Great food my chicken bowl was delicious and Jadon was very nice The store look clean and welcome. Thank you

This was a horrible experience. I have been to several Waba's and the customer service here was horrible. The cashier who rang me up could care less that I was there. There were employees just standing around as one person did all of the work. She cooked, prepped and sauced our food while preparing others. She was sooo busy she didn't have time to smile or give good customer service. When she sauced our food she barely put any on there, so I asked for more sauce and she looked at me like I was bothering her. She put a little bit more on then bagged our food. Mind you I said "Thank you, much Appreciated" with a smile and I barely got a response back. I will not be returning to this location, which sucks because I work right down the street from it. The flavors of the bowl was good... that's why it gets a 1 star. read more

Really clean place to eat and quick food .. best of all nice employee wish I could remember her name but she was so nice read more

WaBa Grill - Fast Food Near Me - San Diego, California

Waba Grill is a great place to go to if you're in need of a pretty healthy alternative. I usually get the chicken salad, which includes chicken (obviously), and a kale mixture. There's several sauces too. The flavors here aren't mind-blowing, but it's pretty clean if you're training or watching your diet. read more

WaBa Grill - Grilled chicken, all veggies. - Fast Food Near Me - San Diego, California

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Worst waba grill visit EVER. First off, today 6/10 at approximately 630 pm, nobody was inside, it was empty employees were all on lunch break?!?! We waited for a couple minutes when a guy ran inside from his car outside breathing heavily and asking the couple before us what they wanted. we waited 30 minutes for 2 simple bowls because nothing was cooking or cooked! SAVE YOUR TIME AND MONEY, GO SOMEWHERE ELSE, EVEN NEXT DOOR TO THE POKE PLACE. FR FR read more

I am a huge fan of waba grill. It is much better than some other similar restaurants like flame broiler. I think the quality and freshness of the meat and vegetables is 10 times better. I usually stick with the basic bowl with chicken except I ask for only a tiny bit of brown rice and extra vegetables just to be a little more health conscious. Sometimes when I am super hungry I will spring for the plate but it is a lot of food for me. I have also ordered the salmon a few times and it is usually pretty good. I eat a lot of chicken so it is nice to have a fish option. read more

I love Waba Grills!! Did not love, like or even eat at this location. I went on Saturday and as soon as I cane in was hit with a stench so bad nyetes started watering. I went up to the counter and said, did you know it smells like an open sewer trench? She said, "waa? Can i take your order? I said, "there's no way is order food from a place that snells so bad" and left. I heard customer picking up order to go, agree with me. I won't be back to that location. read more

They have amazing service and are always busy when I have gone but quick to help and always nice! The food is amazing and great portions! My favorite is the steak with half veggies and steamed rice! So delicious! One thing I know everyone would agree on with me, would be to add a card with ten points and after you add ten bowls(which adds tens points) you get the eleventh one free!!! Great idea right??? Lol! Hope you all enjoy your bowls as much as I do! read more

WaBa Grill - Fresh veggies with steamed rice and steak with fresh avocado! - Fast Food Near Me - San Diego, California

Food wasn't great very fishy and didn't feel like shrimp and salmon were cooked fully. Even veggies were fishy. Wasn't worth the price.

Always a terrible experience. Even when I order online and go into the pickup line, the cashiers look right past me and take everyone else's orders while I'm staring at my food already ready just sitting there. The employees have terrible attitudes and no sense of urgency. The manager is great, but most of the workers have no sense of what's going on. Avoid if you're on a scheduled break or you'll always be late, even if you order online. read more

Ordering curbside at this location is a nightmare. Not only does the checkin process on the order confirmation not work, you have to call in to notify them that you're there. Good luck getting them to answer the phone! Then, if you're lucky, your order might be ready. Let's not get started on how I request add ons like green onion or the sweet chili sauce (which you pay for) and they ALWAYS forget. Absolutely ridiculous. read more

In there first week of opening we were lucky to arrive to a freshly opened location with a friendly cashier. There was no one else in the restaurant and the place was spotless. Food was well prepared and presented in a takeout container, which was unusual since we specified 'dine-in'. There was one thing to note about their food: the salad and marinated carrots lacked any flavor, especially compared to the other WaBa locations. I'm excited for this new convenient location! read more

I like the staff but the business opens an close randomly. Call before you drive there so you're not wasting your gas.

Never open when they are supposed. When they are open they are always out of something. Soda machine always taste like water but that's if your lucky to go & they're actually open. In the last 2?months they have been randomly closed atleast 5 times! read more

I just went right now at 630pm to order a steak rice bowl and the cashier informed me that they ran out of steak, salmon and tofu. They associates said they ran out this items this morning. That is not acceptable for a business to run out of pretty much a majority of protein on your menu. That means you only have chicken on your menu from now until closing?? Also, they didn't prepare my order fresh off the grill, seems like it was already pre cooked because they knew they were completely out. There is also beef ribs advertised on the menu that they no longer carry for a while now and have not taken off their electronic menu. not good guys read more

It's unfortunate that I've come to this level of a review for WaBa. Let me start by saying this is specifically for this location, and I cannot judge others as I've never been to any of them. The food has always been fresh and tasty, hence the two stars. The reason for the relatively negative review is for the service. I've been going to this store since it opened. Over the past several months I've encountered a few disheartening experiences. I went on a Sunday about a month ago and the store was closed. In the middle of the day. Just locked up, nobody around. I thought perhaps the location had closed down. About a week later I popped back by and was surprised to see it open! So of course I went in. Half of the soda fountain has been "out of order" for quite the time, and the rest of the sodas tasted flat, like the CO2 needed a recharge. Not a huge deal, but things have started adding up. This leads to today. I went in, noticed a sign that said the entire soda machine was out of order, and proceeded to wait for about 3-4 minutes while a gentleman was cooking chicken, who kept looking back in an area I couldn't see and motioning to someone that I was standing there. Finally she came around the corner. She came up and stuttered, unsure of how to proceed to explain to me that they were out of....everything. No meat. Nothing. I was confused and actually had to confirm she was saying they had no food. She said that was correct. So I put the bottle of soda from the case back (as that was the only option...and it wasn't much of a choice. Two sodas and some water remained) and left, having wasted quite a bit of time that I could have used elsewhere. I couldn't help but notice all of the trash cans were heaped with trash too, which I've noticed in the past as well. Now, I imagine they get busy during the lunch rush. This was at 4:15 on a Friday though, and all of my visits have been in the evening, and there has never been more than one, maybe two other customers present. This just really surprises me considering that this is a chain. I imagine this location is a franchise, and I hope the franchisee is just blissfully unaware of the lack of the staff's ability to maintain an operating restaurant, vs being aware and not caring. I won't hold it against the chain, but I don't think I'll be visiting this particular location again in the future. read more